International Justice Mission Australia urges the federal government to prioritise legislation requiring technology companies to detect and prevent live-streamed child sexual abuse.
Child protection advocates are calling on the federal government to accelerate long-promised digital duty of care legislation, arguing stronger legal obligations are needed to force technology companies to combat live-streamed child sexual abuse.
The issue will be a key focus of a parliamentary event in Canberra hosted by the Parliamentary Friends Against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, where International Justice Mission (IJM) Australia chief executive David Braga will join experts from academia and the child protection sector to discuss policy reforms aimed at tackling online exploitation.
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Braga said Australia’s existing regulatory framework is not keeping pace with the rapid growth of live-streamed child sexual abuse, which he described as one of the fastest-growing and least-detected forms of child exploitation.
“Live-streamed child sexual abuse is one of the fastest-growing and least-detected forms of child abuse globally,” Braga said in a statement.
“Australia’s Online Safety Act is not fit-for-purpose. Most tech companies are not preventing offenders from using everyday apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to access and direct the live sexual abuse of children in their video call services.”
IJM is urging the government to introduce legislation requiring digital platforms to proactively detect, disrupt, and prevent live-streamed abuse, rather than relying on voluntary industry action.
Braga said recent measures, including expanded enforcement powers for the eSafety Commissioner and social media age verification laws, demonstrated the government’s willingness to regulate online platforms, but argued further reforms were needed.
“It’s time to deliver on the next tranche of reforms, which includes a digital duty of care,” Braga said.
The organisation also pointed to recent proposals in the United Kingdom requiring technology companies to activate or implement tools capable of detecting and blocking child sexual abuse material on smartphones and tablets.
According to IJM’s Scale of Harm study, one in every 100 Filipino children was trafficked to produce new child sexual abuse material in 2022. The organisation said data from the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council consistently ranks Australia among the top three countries purchasing such content.
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David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.